Last week, I posted my favorite fiction picture books from the past year. This week, I’m excited to share my favorite Nonfiction Books of 2014. Again, book selection is challenging as there are SO many to chose from. I have also been taking a rather long break from any form of computer work over the Christmas break so I could focus on family and as a result, my descriptors are relatively short! But here they are…

FAVORITE ANIMAL BOOKS

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla – Katherine Applegate

A nonfiction companion to the amazing novel The One and Only Ivan.

Creature Features– Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins is a master at capturing information in a captivating way both visually and descriptively. In this book, the creatures describe their OWN features! Great for teaching “voice” and a wonderful writing anchor.

Animalium – Katie Scott and Jenny Broom

This is an amazing look into the world of animal classification. Oversized book – wonderful for sharing with students and is made to feel as if you are walking through a museum. Gorgeous and unique!

Mama Build a Little Nest– Jennifer Ward and Steve Jenkins

Who knew there was such diversity when it came to nest building? Fascinating to read and look at!

The Slug(from the Disgusting Critter Series) – Elise Gravel

What can I say except that kids LOVE this series! Interesting facts told with humorous illustrations and slap-stick comments. A MUST for your classroom library!

IF: A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers – David J. Smith

Author of If the World Were A Village, David J. Smith, creates a unique book that shrinks down concepts that are hard to wrap your brain around into a familiar and smaller scale. Perfect book for linking with Math.

Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes– Nicola Davies

An accessible introduction to microbes for primary students. A great NF read aloud that will invite lots of “oooos” and “aaahs.” LOVE this book!

Gravity – Jason Chin

Through simple text and stunning illustrations, Jason Chin explains what gravity does and why it is so important. A complex concept made simple.

As an Oak Tree Grows – G. Brian Karas

SOOOO many different teachable layers to this book including history, timelines, and life cycle of trees. This unique book depicts the life of an oak tree spanning 200 plus years and how the world changes around it as it grows. A perfect book to teach TRANSFORM.

Clever Concept Books – Jane Brocket

Apparently, there are other books in this wonderful series, but these two titles were released this year. LOVE them for early primary classrooms – perfect link to teaching science concepts. Simple text and bright, colorful photographs.

FAVORITE POETRY BOOKS:

Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems – Paul B. Janeczko (editor)

Creating images using only a few words can be challenging but every poem in this collection succeeds in doing so. An lovely collection of short poems – and a perfect illustration to children that sometimes, less is more.

Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons – Jon J. Muth

Soft watercolor illustrations and a charming panda bear, along with 26 haiku poems to celebrate seasons. A treasure of a book.

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold – Joyce Sidman

I adore Joyce Sidman’s poetry and love how she weaves learning into her poems. This is a beautiful collection of fascinating poems about how animals stay alive during winter. LOVE.

And there you have it – my list of favorite Nonfiction Books of the past year. Thanks for stopping by! What were some of your favorites?

It’s Monday and I’m happy to be participating in a weekly event with a community of bloggers who post reviews of books that they have read the previous week. Check out more IMWAYR posts here: Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers.

The first weekend of spring break had me pouring over several recently released picture books! Here are a few of my favorites…

Sparky – Jenny Ofill

I loved the humor in Jenny Ofill’s previous books (17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore and 13 Experiments That Failed) and this book did not disappoint. A young girl begs her mother for a pet and her exasperated mother insists that the pet needs to be one that does not need to be walked, fed or cleaned. The determined girl heads to the library (love this part!) and with the help of the librarian (loved this part too!) researched a pet to meet her mother’s criteria – a SLOTH! But when the mail order pet arrives, it isn’t good at tricks or hide-and-seek . . . or much of anything. But Sparky is irresistible and I found myself wanting to mail order a sloth for myself! The illustrations by Chris Appelhans were a perfect fit to this touching story.

Flight School– Lita Judge

Well, I fell in love with Sparky the sloth in the last book – and now I’m in love with this penguin! This penguin claims to have “the soul of an eagle” and wants desperately to be able to fly so he registers for Flight School. After many failed attempts and plunges into the sea, his teacher (love this part!) helps him derive a plan to help him fly, if only for a few short seconds. This is a book about determination and dreaming big, and those who help along the way. I LOVED the illustrations in this book! Lita Judge captured the characters of so many different land and seabirds with lively colors and exhaggerated features. Soft blues, sea greens and sand browns – beautiful pictures and a beautiful story. (T-T connection to Learning to Fly – by Sebastian Meschenmoser)

The Dandelion’s Tale– Kevin Sheehan

This is a poignant story about friendship and a powerful introduction to the cycle of life. There is also a celebration of story woven into the story which I loved. A sparrow and dandelion meet and become friends. The dandelion explains that she used to be beautiful and bright and sunny yellow but now she has few pods left. Her fear is that with one big wind, her pods will disappear. Her new friend sparrow helps her write her story in the dirt and Dandelion tells Sparrow all the things she has seen and loved. This is such a beautiful story (I got a bit teary when I read it) and one I could see being used with both young and older children. The illustrations are lovely.

Poor Doreen – A Fishy Tale – Sally Lloyd Jones

Doreen is a fish with a very optimistic disposition. On the way to visit her cousin, who just gave birth to 159 babies, she nibbles on a dragonfly, which ends up being bait and catches a ride on a fishing pole. In spite of her every optimistic outlook, Doreen is also a wee bit clueless – and so does not realize that she is in a dire situation. There is humor as the reader is “in” on the situation that Doreen clearly does not seem to be aware. Comical, fun and a character whom I admire because she sees the world with a “glass half full” approach.

Mama Built A Little Nest– Jennifer Ward

I can’t resist any book written or illustrated by Steve Jenkins. This book is a delightful exploration of the diverse range of different nests that birds build for their babies. Who knew there were so many different kinds of nests made from so many different things? This book has playful, fun rhymes and of course, filled with Jenkins trademark paper collage illustrations. A wonderful book for bird lovers (that’s you, Carrie!) and Jenkins lovers (that would be me!)

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? – Rita Gray

Two children wander through the countryside listening to calls of common birds and wonder why the nesting robin does not make a sound. The children carry on through the woods and begin to identify different calls from birds ranging from the chickadee to the blue jay. While the previous book made us aware of the many different types of nests there are, this book introduces us to the wide variety of bird calls. I found myself trying to replicate the calls myself! The “Word with the Bird” Q-and-A at the back of the book explains in detail why the robin is silent while hatching her eggs and answers many other questions about the role of father bird and what happens to the babies when they leave the nest.

Aviary Wonders, Inc– Kate Samworth

Wow – this book is gorgeous! exquisite! remarkable! It is an imaginary (sci-fi) mock catalogue of bird parts to choose from for the purpose of assembling your own bird. The illustrations are stunning and some of the sidebar comments hilarious. But the underlying tone of this book is rather somber – as it is meant to be a thought-provoking look at what happens birds become extinct. My friend Carrie Gelson posted a detailed review of this book on her blog last week. You can read it here: There’s A Book For That.

Peggy– Anna Walker

Peggy gets an unexpected adventure in the city when a big gust of wind sweeps her up and drops here there. She soon enjoys the sights and sounds of the unfamiliar place but begins to miss home. She cleverly devises a plan to get home. What I loved most about this book was the illustrations. The text is very simple but the detailed illustrations tell the story beautifully. They are soft, muted and pale but fit Peggy perfectly!

Steelheart– Brandon Sanderson

Oooooo…. this is a FANTASTIC book! I am reading it with my 13 yr. old son and I am not sure who is enjoying it more. It is a YA-Sci-fi-futuristic superhero-fast-paced-compelling-thrill-ride! I’m embarrassed to say I had not heard of this writer before (sorry!) but I am most impressed by the writing so far. I was hooked half-way through the prologue – and felt as if I were watching a movie! Can’t wait to read more!

The Glassblower’s Children– Maria Gripe

I came across this book in the library and was drawn to the title and the etching illustration on the cover. This fairy tale by Swedish writer Maria Gripe was published in 1973 was awarded the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award the following year. This story has all the components you could ask for in a fairy tale – A hard working glassblower and his wife, their two children, a fortune teller, an evil governess whose only wish is to have children. But it is more than a fairy tale – it is thought provoking and poignant with incredibly exquisite writing. A little gem that I’m so glad I discovered! It would make a wonderful class read aloud or a quiet read by the fire.